WORLD OCEANS DAY

"As I ebb’d with the ocean of life,

As I wended the shores I know,

As I walk’d where the ripples continually wash you Paumanok,

Where they rustle up hoarse and sibilant,

Where the fierce old mother endlessly cries for her castaways,

I musing late in the autumn day, gazing off southward,

Held by this electric self out of the pride of which I utter poems,

Was seiz’d by the spirit that trails in the lines underfoot,

The rim, the sediment that stands for all the water and all the land of the globe."

The Ocean: Life and Livelihoods is the theme for World Oceans Day 2021, as well as a declaration of intentions that launches a decade of challenges to get the Sustainable Development Goal 14, “Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources”, by 2030.

The purpose of the Day is to inform the public of the impact of human actions on the ocean, develop a worldwide movement of citizens for the ocean, and mobilize and unite the world’s population on a project for the sustainable management of the world's oceans.

The ocean covers over 70% of the planet. It is our life source, supporting humanity’s sustenance and that of every other organism on earth. They are a major source of food and medicines and a critical part of the biosphere

The ocean produces at least 50% of the planet’s oxygen, is home to most of the earth’s biodiversity, and is the main source of protein for more than a billion people around the world. Not to mention, the ocean is key to our economy with an estimated 40 million people being employed by ocean-based industries by 2030.

Even though all its benefits, the ocean is now in need of support.

With 90% of big fish populations depleted, and 50% of coral reefs destroyed, we are taking more from the ocean than can be replenished. To protect and preserve the ocean and all it sustains, we must create a new balance, rooted in a true understanding of the ocean and how humanity relates to it.

Did you know?

• Over 70 percent of our planet’s oxygen is produced by the ocean

It’s thought that between 70 and 80 percent of the oxygen we breathe is produced by marine plants, nearly all of which are marine algae.

• Key to our economy The ocean is key to our economy with an estimated 40 million people being employed by ocean-based industries by 2030.

• it buffers the effects of Global Warming

Oceans absorb about 30% of carbon dioxide produced by humans, buffering the impacts of global warming.

• The world’s longest mountain chain is underwater

Earth’s longest chain of mountains, the Mid-Ocean Ridge, is almost entirely beneath the ocean, stretching across a distance of 65,000 kilometers. It’s said that this mountain chain is less explored than the surface of Venus or Mars.

• We still only know a fraction of the marine species in our oceans.

According to the World Register of Marine Species, there are now 240,470 accepted species, but this is believed to be just a small proportion of the species that exist, with new marine life being discovered every day.

Thus, after knowing such important facts we must take a pledge to keep it safe. We must build a connection to the ocean that is inclusive, innovative, and informed by lessons from the past.

In the end, June 8th, a day to celebrate together the beauty, the wealth, and the promise of the ocean.